Michigan Republican official resigns after calling for "another Kent State"

The Secretary of the Marquette County Republican Party has stepped down after he tweeted the suggestion that violent protestors at the University of California - Berkeley should be shot.

Dan Adamini says he resigned so he isn't a distraction to the work of the Republican Party.

"Whenever you join an organization, you want to do it because you can be helpful," said Adamini. "And with all the hateful messages and death threats that have been coming not just to me but to other people in the party, I thought it would be best if I stepped aside."

Last week Adamini tweeted, "Violent protesters who shut down free speech? Time for another Kent State perhaps. One bullet stops a lot of thuggery."

Adamini said he meant to call for an end to violence after last week's demonstration in Berkeley against controversial senior Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos.

"Now that is not the sentiment that most people interpreted from my Tweet and Facebook post, and I understand that because I did it miserably," said Adamini.

"I'm apologizing for giving the impression that I wanted violence on campus because my intention was to prevent violence on campus. I apologize for choosing Twitter and Facebook to even attempt such a post," Adamini said. "And I apologize for wording it so poorly that it actually gave the impression that I was calling for violence."

Adamini said he took down the posts last Friday.

The tweet brought widespread condemnation, including from Kent State University.

The University said in a written statement, "This abhorrent post is in poor taste and trivializes a loss of life that still pains the Kent State community to this day."

On May 4, 1970 four students were killed and nine others wounded by the Ohio National Guard during anti-Vietnam War protests at the Ohio campus.